Game.



F. A. JOHNSTON.

GAME.

urmommn mum we. 1a, 1913.

99 250; Patented June 9, 1914.

-HIIHHHHI FRANK A. JOHNSTON, 0F IOLA,.KANSAS.

GAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1914.

Application filed August 18, 1913. SerialNo. 785,336.

To a 10/1 om it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK A. JOHNSTON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Iola, in the county of Allenand State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Games, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in gamesand relates more specifically to that class of games in which a boardprovided with a groove or runway and spherical members adapted to travelin said groove or runway, are employed.

An object of the invention is to provide a game of this character withan improved form of board of simple and cheap construction and which maybe formed of various materials.

A further object is to provide a game of this character with novel meansto be employed by the players -for depositing the spherical members uponthe board in such manner that said members will readily find their wayto the groove or runway and travel for a distance in said groove orrunway before stopping opposite one of the squares on the inclinedportion of the board.

A still further object is to generally improve and simplify devices ofthis character and provide a game which will be instructive as well asentertainin WVith the above and other objects in view, my inventionconsists in novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of partsto be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved game board; Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view through the same; Fig. 3 is a fragmentarydetail sectional view through the grooved portion of said board, saidview also showing in section the means for depositing the sphericalmembers upon the board.

Reierring more specifically to the drawings in which similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throu bout the several views, 1designates the oard which may be formed of any suitable material andwhich has the upper face of its central portion convexed, as shown at 2,with a circular groove or runway 3 around said convexed portion, saidboard being inclined upwardly from the outer edge of the groove orrunway toward the edges of the board, as shown at 4. The upwardly in--lincd portion l of the board is marked oil into squares 5, arranged ina circle around the groove or runway 13, said squares having charactersmarked thereon, as shown at (i. lVhile any form of characters may beplaced in the squares 5, I prefer to use a double set of numerals from25 to 1000, said numerals being arranged in order and both sets runningin the same direction, as will be readily ulnlerstocd by referring tothe drawing.

The board 1 has a stop flange 7 secured upon its upper face along itsedges to prevent the spherical members 8 from rolling oil of the board 1before reaching the groove or runway 3.

The spherical members 8 may be deposited upon the board 1 in anysuitable manner but l have shown a novel device for this purpose whichconsists of a standard 9 having its lower end split longitudinally, asshown at 10, to provide the legs 11 which are bent in oppositedirections in order that they may straddle thc groove or runway 3, aswill be later clearly understood. The upper end of the standard 9 isbifurcated, as shown at 12, and the chute or tube 1.3 is pivoted in saidbifurcated end, as shown at 14, it being understood that the oppositeends of the chute or tube are open and that said chute or tube 13 may beset at any desired incline to properly direct the spherical members tothe board. I prefer to have one end of the chute or tube 13 directed up-'ardly at an angle to the remainder thereof, as shown at 15, in orderthat the spherical memliers may be more readily deposited in the upperend 15 which is also flared, while the lower end of said member restsslightly above the board 1, the remaining portion of the device beinginclined down *ardly, at an angle to the standard 9.

The game may be played as tollowsz- A certain trip may be decided uponby the players and the route to be taken and the number of miles to becovered during said trip. Then the players deposit their sphericalmembers upon the board in turn, each spherical member finding its way tothe groove or runway 3 traveling in the same until stopping opposite oneof the squares 5. The number in this square will indicate the number ofmiles that player is entitled to travel upon his or her journey. The

player first reaching his or her destination wins. the game. It willtherefore be seen that this game will be instructive as well asentertaining, as the players will be com pelled to determine the numberof miles in each different route from one given place to another andwill therefore be of interest to both old and young,

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of my game, it will beobvious that minor changes in the details of construction may be madewithin. the scope of the appended claim without departing from thespirit of my invention or sacrificing any of the advantages of the same.

Vhat I claim is A device of the class described comprising abase boardhaving a marginal :rim, the upper face of said board having its centralportion convexe d and being provided with a runway around said conveXedcencopiel of this patent may be obtained for tral portion, the remainderof the upper face of said board being inclined from the runway'to therim thereof, said remaining po-r-- tion of said face being inclined fromthe runway to the same degree as the incllnation of the convexed centralportion of the,

end registering with said runway, as and for the purpose described. r

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

FRANK A. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses W. B. LEDFEED, J. C. HAGERMAN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. C.

